Spring is FINALLY here, and many of us are already busy in our gardens and flower beds, eager to see the plants we’ve planted bring forth what they are supposed to.
John 15:1-8
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.”
The Bible goes on to say what happens to trees that do not bear fruit:
Matthew 21:19
“And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward forever.”
Mark 11:20-21
“And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.”
But, the Bible also lets us know what happens to trees that do bear fruit:
Luke 13:9
“And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.”
Look back at John 15:2 – Why would He PURGE a branch that bears fruit?
Definitions of Purge:
- purify: make pure or free from sin or guilt; “he left the monastery purified”
- rid of impurities; “purge the water”; “purge your mind”
- an act of removing by cleansing; ridding of sediment or other undesired elements
A question was asked on answers.yahoo.com about trimming plants. Here are the highlights of the conversation:
“Q: How do you trim (hanging) plants so they grow faster?
A: take it down, and first, trim off all the dead stuff. Most should just pull away without needing scissors.
Second, once you have gotten rid of the dead stuff, Look to see if the “hanging” parts are the length you want, or do you want them shorter? Also, is it real leafy on the stuff that hangs down, but the stuff “in” the pot is real bare?
If yes to either/both questions is yes, what you want to do is trim back the hanging stems/branches. Choose the length you think you want, and cut PAST the leaf in that area. Within a few months, you’ll be able to plant the new shoots, and your “mother” plant will look healthy and beautiful.By trimming back, it will encourage new growth.”
If the plant could talk it would tell you that getting cut back hurts! Sometimes God has to purge us, and trim us to get the useless junk out of our lives. If it isn’t profitable for the Kingdom do we really need it? We like to look back and say that we aren’t what we used to be, but to get to where we are now God has purged us of things that held us back. If Heaven is the goal we have to continue to let Him work on us.
While we’re on the subject of bearing fruit, the Bible says you shall know a person by their fruits:
Matthew 7:16-20
“Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”
Galatians 5:22-23
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
If someone proclaims to be a child of God, or even proclaims to have the Holy Ghost, but does not bear fruit, one can question if they really are what they advertise themselves to be. By the fruit you will know them! But you can’t bear all this good fruit and bear the fruit listed in Galatians 5:19.
